Bring on the ACC -- #2 Syracuse Takes Care of Eastern Michigan to Cap Off Non-Conference Schedule

Jerami Grant skies to gain possession in SU's 70-48 win over Eastern Michigan. Grant had 15 points.

KEVIN RIVOLI - AP Photo

13 and bleeping 0. Who cares about who did or did not see this coming. As long as the team put it all out on the floor then no one is complaining. The 2013, soon to be 2014 Orange stay undefeated with a 70-48 W over Eastern Michigan. Syracuse notched its 51st straight non-conference win at the Carrier Dome, led by four scorers in double figures. Credit SU for not letting this game slip away, as the Eagles were within 8 at one point. Of course, the focus shifts to what everyone has been waiting for: The ACC Schedule.

Balanced Scoring Did the Trick

Rakeem Christmas and Jerami Grant topped out at 15 point apiece, CJ Fair chipped in 13, and Trevor Cooney added 10 to help SU pull out the win. 15 is a new career-high for Rak. Finally some inside production for SU, as its been a struggle dating back to last year.He grabbed just three boards, but was an efficient 7-8 from the field. You'll take that every night from X-Mas. As for the rest of the gang, Grant played like the sixth man we've expected to see all year. Iffy 5-10 at the FT line and four turnovers, but he made up for those blemishes by attacking the basket and being a spark off the pine. Fair and Cooney, up to their same old ways.

T-Dot Stays Scheming Despite Scoreless

Tyler at it again on NYE, as the point guard recorded nine assists, five boards and three steals in the victory even though he didn't score a single point. Be ready for afternoons like this from Ennis. He change ball games in multitudes of ways. He doesn't have to score to be effective as we saw today. The ACC will present new and difficult challenges for the frosh, but he's shown us enough where I think he's ready for just about anything. He's calm and cool under pressure. Some argue he already has enough pressure on him as MCW's assassin and the unsung leader of a #2 team in the country. 

The Other Tyler Is Quietly Emerging 

Yeah it's just Eastern Michigan, but Tyler Roberson is slowly becoming Boeheim's favorite freshman off the bench. Roberson scored a career-high 6 points on 2-3 shooting and had 5 rebounds Tuesday. After Fair and Grant, Rob arguably severs as their best replacement for his size and speed. He was a solid scorer in high school and he could provide the same spark up On the Hill. It will be tough to notice this with conference play coming up, but perhaps Roberson's number will be called on to step up down the road. I'm telling you, keep an eye out for him.

ACC! ACC! ACC!

Again, the moment we've all been waiting for. Everyone was amped for SU Football and it's shift to the ACC, but come on the basketball team is the real story. Match-ups with UNC and Duke are right around the corner now. Syracuse's New Year's Resolution has to be an ACC Championship as a first-year member of the conference. That would be bitter sweet. This team looks ready to put in work and cause immediate havoc. You can't take away what Syracuse experienced in the Big East, that meaning the physicality, grit and toughness the program exhibits. The Orange plays with anybody. It's that simple. If you don't, just look through the archives. Bring on the ACC, Cuse Nation. 

I'm out.

--Glash

So We Meet Again -- Former SU Assistant Rob Murphy Returns as Eastern Michigan Visits the Orange on NYE

No this isn't Rick Pitino coming back to the Carrier Dome today. A different Boeheim minion is back. It's Rob Murphy (Class of 1997), an assistant coach to Boeheim for seven seasons at Syracuse. Murphy leads his Eastern Michigan Eagles up On the Hill to battle the #2 Orange today.

What the Eagles are up against?

EM has a tough task at hand, as the Cuse just willed itself to a huge win Saturday over Villanova, 78-62, to stay unbeaten and among college basketball's best. Tyler "T-Dot" Ennis continues his phenomenal freshman stint with the Orange. Saturday marked the third notable game (at least in my book) he didn't record a turnover. In outings against Indiana and what was #18 Baylor (now #9 btw), Ennis had a big fat goose egg in the TO column. Pretty impressive out of the gate without a doubt.

Can CJ Fair get off the schneid against the Eagles?

Per ESPN, Fair hasn't had his best games against Eastern Michigan. He's totaled just 12 points on 4 of 13 shooting in two career games against it. However, what is on Fair's side is his recent streak of good basketball. He's shooting more than 50% from the field in five of the last six. He's emerged as SU's go-to scorer, averaging almost 18 a game. Fair will be matched by Eagles forward Karrington Ward and his deep ball shooting this afternoon. Ward does struggle, though, against ranked opponents, as his season average of 15 PPG dips to 9 in those specific games. Fair should be just fine.

Is this THE trap game?

My partner 'n crime Ron Schiltz believed the 'Nova game was a trap match-up for the Orange. Yeah we noticed the skepticism on Twitter, and I understand both angles here. I think this might be the trap game for SU. You have a former assistant coach coming in who understands Boeheim system in Murphy. As a program, Syracuse is also just one game away from when the fun really starts: ACC compeition. Don't tell me these guys like veteran CJ Fair and Baye Moussa Keita are not looking forward to this already. CJ pretty much stayed for his senior year to get this awesome experience. The Orange should cruise in this one but those are some possible angles you can take for making the case that it's a "trap game."

Predicition

Syracuse soars high and above the Eagles 77-52. Did I mention EM comes off a loss to the #9 Duke Blue Devils? A crushing defeat 82 - 59 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. When you are a program that has to face Top 10 opponents in back-to-back games, it's hard to believe you have a chance to even keep up. Just to prove even more we are better than Duke, SU wins by 25 rather than Duke's 23-pt win. Ha ha, Duke! See ya in February. 

Happy New Year from Melo's Cornrows! Follow us during the game on Twitter @Meloscornrows and check out the site afterwards for post-game reaction and Syracuse's New Year Resolution!

--Brendan Glasheen

T-Dot, Training Day -- Cuse Overcomes Nova Great For top 10 Win

Ok, so remember when MCW was the greatest thing to touch the floor in Syracuse land like 2 years ago?  Yeah, well that kid played less that 10 minutes a game as a freshman, then come out as a sophomore and let us to the Final Four.  Then he left.  Well, let me introduce you to SU's replacement for Mr. Carter-Williams.  His name is T-Dot.  And he does on the court what K-Dot does on the mic.  For the laymen that would be Tyler Ennis (T-Dot) and Kendrick Lamar (K-Dot), both kings of their respective crafts.  When Villanova came knocking with a 18 point lead in the early points of this game, the freshman Ennis did not wilt.  No, rather he stepped up bigger than anyone else on the floor.

What did we learn

CJ Fair played like
the preseason POY on Friday

In SU's biggest test of the season on the court, the Orange stepped up in a huge way.  The Wildcats came out firing, hitting 4 of their first 5 3-pointers and taking a 25-7 lead 9 minutes into the 1st Half.  That was the largest deficit that Syracuse had faced all season.  But Jim Boeheim's squad said deficit, schmeficit and went on a 20-0 run of their own to take a 27-25 lead with a little less than 5 minutes to play...and the Orange never looked back.  During that stretch Trevor Cooney had 8 of the 20 and CJ Fair had 6 of his own.  What the means is when all seemed lost, the leaders of the team stepped up.  And once the comeback was mounted, it was the Tyler Ennis show.  The freshman point guard had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and most importantly NO TURNOVERS.  Am I the only one that is unbelievably impressed with the basketball IQ on this kid? Like MCW was a lottery pick and a player of the year candidate but that dude was like Mahatma Gandhi some games when it came to giving away the ball.  We were so afraid that losing him at the point would mean the downfall of the Syracuse perimeter play.  Uhh... that thought now seems utterly ridiculous.  With Ennis and Cooney running the show outside I could not feel more comfortable.  We also learned that our big men know how to rotate.  There were a few times that I was in absolute awe of how fast the big men were in and out of their spots and forcing Villanova into tough outside shots.  Toward the end of the game they had figured 'Nova out so well that the Wildcats had a hard time beating the shot clock.

What this means going forward

Bring it ACC, Bring it on

I tell you what, before this game I did not feel very comfortable going into ACC play after the usual weak nonconference schedule.  But after a game like that, that had everything that could basically go wrong (18 point deficit, early foul trouble, Karl Hess's entire existence, and 'Nova shooting the lights out from behind the arc), I feel more than comfortable.  I say bring on your Roy Williamss, your Mike Krzyzewskis, and your Jim Larranagas.  Let us have your worst because this team is up for it.  Cooney is shooting almost 50% from 3, Ennis is wheeling and dealing from the point, and CJ Fair is living up to his preseason player of the year name.  Even Baye, Rak, and DaJuan are starting to click.  And don't even get me started on Jerami Grant.  It always seems that the player that 'Cuse counts on the most is the 6th man, and the same sounds true this season.  When everything else is going wrong, i.e. CJ and Trev aren't being CJ and Trev, the Orange have the ultimate backup plan in Jerami Grant.  What this means going forward is that we can breathe easy going into ACC play and feel that yeah, we do deserve that #2 ranking on the left of our name.  The 'Cuse is for real once again.

The Orange Juices are in full FLOW!!!

-- Ron

Villanova Basketball Preview

Ok, so has everyone had time to digest our most recent bowl win? Yeah, me neither. BUT good news! SU sports are at it again, and in a big way.  The ball squad is slated for a Top 10 matchup with a long time rival! Villanova visits the Dome as the #8 team in the land to take on the #2 Orange.  This game feels like anything but a non-conference game.  In the inaugural ACC year who would have thought the first big matchup the Orange would face would be against a former Big East opponent?  Not me and I know I'm definitely not alone in that one. But whether we expected it or not the 11-0 Wildcats are up next and guess what? They're for real.

Meet the Undefeated 2013-2014 Villanova Wildcats

Right off the bat I'll tell you that 'Nova has done something this season that our boys in Orange have yet to do.  That is beat 2 ranked teams.  Oh yeah, and one of those teams happened to be the Kansas Jayhawks and Mr. Andrew Wiggins.  That game was a heck of a roller coaster as 'Nova led most of the game but had to fight back to steal the win in Atlantis (the game was in the Battle for Atlantis Tournament).  The game was put on ice when Ryan Arcidiacono drilled a 3 late in the final minute of the game.  Which brings me to my first introduction.  Ryan Arcidiacono.  Don't let his annoyingly long

Ryan Arcidiacono isn't afraid
to take the big shot

last name fool you.  This dude can ball.  The Wildcats point guard should be pretty familiar to 'Cuse fans.  He was the one who hit the tying 3 with 2.2 seconds left last year to send the game to OT...a game we would lose.  Yeah so basically this kid has a knack for drilling clutch shots when teams let Villanova hang around.  Moving on we get to the Wildcats' leading scorer JayVaughn Pinkston.  The 6-7 forward is averaging almost 17 points per game and is shooting 52% from the field.  Let me say that again. He is shooting 52% from the field.  That's really good. And the Cats next scorer is no slouch either.  The 6-6 guard James Bell is averaging over 15ppg and is shooting 42% from the field.  The Wildcats as a team are averaging 82 points per game. So that means we should be looking for a shootout in the Dome.  Maybe even Taco Time if we're lucky.

Trap Game?

Syracuse has not played in 8 days.  So I think someone should take a trip over to Jimmy's hut and wake the dude up from his week long Christmas food coma.  Syracuse's last game was against High Point.  I mean is that even a real school?  Like seriously where the heck is High Point and who named that school?  Anywho...the game before the last one was against St. John's in MSG.  That game went down to the wire with the 'Cuse coming out on top by only 5 in a game that honestly should have been a blowout.  It was definitely enough to scare me as we head into 'Cuse's first real test since Baylor.  Jimmy B's squad is going to need to be ready for the quick guard play that has become a staple of Jay Wright coached teams.  The Orange have the advantage on the size side, as they do in almost any game they play, but the zone is going to need to extend out to the 3 point line well to guard Bell and Arcidiacono.  This game was definitely not one that we all had marked off on the schedule when it was released and while I'm sure the team isn't taking #8 'Nova lightly, it does have that strange feeling of a trap game.  (And no you're not the only one wondering how the heck Villanova went from unranked to top 10 so fast)

Matchups that will matter

The first matchup that stands out to me is the one between standout freshman Tyler Ennis and household mouthful Ryan Arcidiacono.  Ennis has done better than pretty much anyone imagined he would this early in the season, but this will be his biggest test yet.  Arcidiacono has ice in his veins as he has shown time and time again.  It will be Ennis's job to shut him down and use his long wingspan to step in the lanes.  The other one that matters is Cuse's big men vs. Nova's sorta-kinda-abit-bigger-than-normal men.  The Wildcats only have one player over 6-8 and the Cuse has, well, a lot.  But this matchup will become more interesting as the zone is forced to push out more on Nova's guards.  With the 3 point arc becoming a point of emphasis that leaves bigger holes inside the zone.  This could become a problem if Syracuse does not rotate well.  Hopefully the team has shaken off any holiday food fat that they may have gained in the time off.  There is one other matchup may not be as important
on the court but is worth mentioning.  Tyler Ennis will take on his older brother Dylan for the first time in college.

Dylan and Tyler Ennis
will play as opponents for the first time in college

Dylan Ennis is a sophomore guard for Villanova and is averaging 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.  The younger Tyler Ennis is averaging 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.  While I expect Ennis to be matched up with Arcidiacono for the majority of the night, the two Canadian brother could play a little bit of 1-on-1 throughout the game.

Prediction

Even though I am very skeptical of this game and I have that weird feeling that we could pull a 'Cuse, I think the better team prevails here.  Syracuse is a more well rounded team that has more experience and more square footage than Villanova.  I think this will be a big game for Baye Keita, Rakeem Christmas, and DaJuan Coleman as they are each taller and bigger than the biggest player for Villanova, Daniel Ochefu.  I think the 'Cuse avoids their first non-conference loss at home in like a million years and wins a close one 84-80.

Keep the Orange juices flowin!
--Ron Schiltz

Texas Bowl Post-Game Recap: In Terrel We Trust

Terrel Hunt runs into the end
zone for the go ahead touchdown.

The Syracuse Orange are your 2013 Texas Bowl Champions!  First and foremost, what an amazing game.  What started out as a defensive showcase in the first half ended with 21 points in the fourth quarter and one hell of a finish.  A HUGE 70-yard punt return by Brisly Estime set up Terrel Hunt's second rushing touchdown of the night with 1:14 left to give Syracuse their third bowl win in four years.

Three Stars:

-Syracuse Run Defense: If you read my preview, my matchup to watch for was David Cobb and the Minnesota rushing attack vs. Syracuse's stingy defense.  This definitely held true in this one, as Minnesota ran the ball 38 times for just 127 yards as a team.  That's an impressive 3.3 yards per rush against for the Syracuse defense, who continued their season long streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher.  Cobb had 91 yards on 18 carries.

After Philip Nelson struggled early under center, he was replaced by the dual threat redshirt freshman Mitch Leidner.  Syracuse's defense was too much for Leidner who was held to just 1.8 yards per carry. Cameron Lynch and Dyshawn Davis led the way defensively with 8 tackles each.  Lynch also had one of the Orange's 4 sacks on the day.  Minnesota had just 3 points heading into the fourth quarter.

-Terrel Hunt: Hunt looked poised all game, and never once did he seem overwhelmed or uncomfortable even when the offense was struggling early on.  Hunt made good decisions passing the ball going 19-29 for 188 yards and no interceptions.  Where Hunt was really effective though was on the ground.  Hunt scored two of Syracuse's three touchdowns with his feet, including the game winning score with 1:14 left in the game.  He finished with 74 yards and averaged just under 5 yards per carry.

Brisly Estime lays out for a
pass in the first quarter. 

-Brisly Estime: On the first offensive drive of the game, Syracuse was rolling and looked like they were ready to put the ball in the end zone or at least put points on the board.  Estime fumbled after making a nice move in the open field, giving the ball back to the Golden Gophers.  From here on out, Estime came to play.  Estime had five catches for 47 yards, but four of them were for first downs.  In the first quarter Estime layed out for a pass into the end zone and nearly made the catch of the year, but it he couldn't haul it in.  The biggest play of course was the 70 yard punt return to set up Syracuse's game winning touchdown.  Without that return there is a very good chance Syracuse is leaving Texas winless.  I couldn't be more excited about his future.

What this means?
-Syracuse has won another bowl game!  It's great to see where this program has come in the past five or so years.  I remember back in the Greg Robinson days when any talk of a bowl game would have been laughed at.  Now after appearing and winning in three bowl games in four years, Syracuse has established itself as a respectable and proud football program.  Hats off to Scott Shafer on a terrific first season as head coach.

George Morris II will likely be the
main threat in the Syracuse backfield next year.

-The future could be very, very bright.  Yes, that's right.  Syracuse could really be a contender in the ACC next year.  With Terrel Hunt coming back for two more years, along with Jarrod West, Ashton Broyld, and Brisly Estime, the Syracuse offense has a lot to look forward to next season.  With PTG and Jerome Smith likely gone, the backfield duties will likely be given to George Morris II, the freshman who looked good on eight carries tonight.

The defense returns a handful of key players as well, led by Dyshawn Davis, Cameron Lynch, Durrel Eskridge, and Robert Welsh.  They will have some work to do replacing Marquis Spruill and Jay Bromley, but tonight this defense showed that it can be very, very scary when it wants to be.


Final Thoughts:

Syracuse did what it had to do to win against the Golden Gophers.  They really dominated the game until the fourth quarter when things got a little bit more interesting.  There's something about Terrel Hunt's game tonight that has me thinking he has that "clutch" gene.  Seeing him find the lane to take off on third and long with the game on the line was a Syracuse fans' dream come true.  Hunt will obviously be the guy heading into training camp for next season, which will give him advantages he didn't have this year.  Farewell to all the seniors, and you have to realize this senior class was a huge part of turning this program around.  All of them have been a part of the three bowl wins, two under Marrone and now one under Shafer.  Jay Bromley, Marquis Spruill, Jerome Smith, Prince Tyson-Gulley, Macky MacPherson, and many others... THANK YOU!

Let's not forget that Syracuse takes on Villanova in the Dome at 2 p.m. tomorrow, so don't celebrate this win too hard.  Long live the Big East! Beat Nova!

~Ted Gioia

Texas Bowl Preview

Gameday is finally here!  Tonight your Orange (6-6) take on Minnesota (8-4)

in the 2013 Texas Bowl.  Minnesota could be in the midst of a historic year as they attempt to win 9 games in a season for the just the second time in 108 years.  A successful Big Ten campaign has Minnesota back in the Texas Bowl after losing last year to Texas Tech.  Syracuse is coming off of a successful transition into the ACC after going an unexpected .500 in conference play.  The Orange and the Golden Gophers have the 38th and 32nd ranked rushing attacks, respectively, so we might be seeing a whole lot of the ground and pound in this one.  The common conception leading into this one is that the Big Ten's Minnesota is probably a better all around team than the ACC's Syracuse, but let's break it down a little bit further to get a taste of what we might see tonight.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM MINNESOTA:

David Cobb leads the way for Minnesota's tenacious
rushing attack.

As I previously mentioned, Minnesota likes to run the football.  Running back David Cobb is definitely the player to watch for on Minnesota's offense, as he's racked up over 1100 yards this season and has averaged over five yards per carry while doing it.  While Cobb has a modest seven touchdowns this year, look for 6-4, 233 pound Mitch Leidner to provide a spark as well.  The freshman also has seven scores on the season and has played a little bit of quarterback on top of running back so he is a dynamic threat for the Golden Gopher offense.  Minnesota doesn't like to pass as sophomore quarterback Philip Nelson has only 1200 yards on the season.  If Nelson struggles look for Leidner to come in to mix things up at the QB position.  

Defenseively, there is one man you need to know on the Minnesota defense.  All Big Ten defensive tackle Ra'Shede Hageman is a top NFL prospect for the upcoming draft, and he could make it a long day for Macky MacPherson and the rest of Syracuse's interior offensive line.  Hageman leads Minnesota with 11 tackles for a loss on the season.  Other than Hageman though, the Minnesota run defense has been very inconsistent throughout the season, averaging over 154 rushing yards allowed per game (against some very tough opponents), so it will be interesting to see how they handle Jerome Smith.

ORANGE UPDATE:

We all know what we're going to see from the Orange, a steady rushing attack and hard-nosed Scott Shafer defense.  However, junior veteran wide receiver Jarrod West is back into the Syracuse lineup which gives Terrel Hunt another option downfield.  For the most part though, expect Jerome Smith to be the focus of the offense for his last game in the orange and blue.  Syracuse has averaged over 194 rushing yards per game this season between Smith, Hunt, PTG, and a couple of others.

Jarrod West's return could be a big
factor in tonight's game.

Durrel Eskridge has been ruled out of this one and that is a big hit to the Syracuse defense, however it would play more of a roll if Minnesota had a threatening passing attack.  Look for Jay Bromley and Marquis Spruill to hold it down for the Syracuse defense who hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher all season long.  

MATCHUP THAT WILL DECIDE THE GAME:

The real matchup that is going to decide who goes home with the Texas Bowl is the Syracuse run-defense against David Cobb and the Golden Gopher rushing attack.  As I already mentioned, Minnesota loves to run the ball.  Syracuse has the 26th ranked run defense in the country, and they're going to have to slow down David Cobb if they want a shot to win this one.  Senior defensive tackle Jay Bromley will look to penetrate the Golden Gophers' offensive line and disrupt the run before it can get to the next level.  Spruill leads the Orange with 13.5 tackles for a loss on the year.  He will be just as important as Bromley in stopping Cobb and the Golden Gophers.  If Syracuse is able to limit Minnesota's rushing attack, I like their chances in this game.  

PREDICTION:

Ra'Shede Hageman is just
downright scary.

Terrel Hunt is going to have a full plate tonight.  Minnesota's defense is 27th in the country in points against, and is coming off a game in which they held Big Ten Champions Michigan State to just 14 points.  Syracuse is going to have to rely on its rushing attack to lead the way if they want to have a chance.  I think Syracuse's defense will make or break, as it's going to take a heroic effort from them to stifle the Minnesota rushing attack.  In the end: Minnesota is the slightly better team in an old school hard-nosed football game and ends up winning a close one 20-17.

Go Orange! ~ Ted Gioia

Orange Football is Back...Sorta

From 1989 to 1996 Syracuse won 6 straight bowl games and they even tied the 1988 Sugar Bowl against Auburn.  In that 1997 season the Donovan McNabb led Orangemen (yes they were still the Orangemen at that point) went 9-3 during the regular season, finishing with 3 straight wins over ranked opponents and a first place finish in the Big East.  This earned them a spot in the 1997 Tostito's Fiesta Bowl.  McNabb would, however, not be able to lead them past #10 Kansas State.  Now this is where the point of this entire post picks up.  Ever since that 1997 Fiesta Bowl, Syracuse football kind of took a spiral.

Granted the Orange did make it to the 1999 Orange Bowl in McNabb's last season with Syracuse, only to be stomped...errrr chomped...by the Florida Gators.  From that point forward Paul Pasqualoni led the Orange to only 1 more season with more than 7 wins.  That one season was 2001 when the Orange magically won 10 games and the Insight Bowl, ironically over Kansas State.  So the Pasqualoni years ended with an embarrassing 51-14 loss to Georgia Tech in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl. 

Then came the time we don't speak of.  The Greg Robinson Era. God, even saying those words makes me want to dig a hole and wait for the New Year.  The...lets just call them the Bad Times...included 4 seasons with not one, NOT ONE, having more than 4 wins.  The Bad Times included no bowl games, no 4 or 5 star recruits, and, worst of all, no winning. 

Then came the greatest news an Orange fan could hear.  Doug Marrone is the new Head Football Coach of the Syracuse Orange.  The Bad Times were finally over.  Marrone brought with him hope of change and a newly focused team.  Marrone's inaugural year was fairly Robinsonesque resulting in only 4 wins.  Then came the year. The year that started the resurgence of Syracuse football.  The 2010 season brought with it 7 wins and the first bowl birth for Syracuse since 2004.  And who better to play that bowl game against than good ol' Kansas State.  The Orange, led by Ryan Nassib's superior day, won 36-34 in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The win, however, meant so much more than a banner in the rafters of the Carrier Dome.  It meant we were back.  The Orangemen (now the Orange) were back.  The year after was a bit of a stumble after the Orange stormed out of the gates to a 5-2 start to the season, they lost 5 straight to miss bowl eligibility by 1 game.  2012 reminded us why Marrone was a reason for hope.  He led the Orange to a 7-5 record and a share of the Big East title in Syracuse's last season in the conference.  Then came the Pinstripe Bowl 2.0.  The bowl game that pitted Syracuse against the former Heisman candidate, Geno Smith, and the West Virginia Mountaineers.  The Marrone led Orange routed West Virginia 38-10 and made Geno Smith look like...well like he has with the Jets...GOD AWFUL.  With its 2nd Bowl win in 3 years, it really seemed like Syracuse was back on the track to national relevance.  Then our savior left. 

When Doug Marrone decided to leave 'Cuse for the Buffalo Bills, the feeling around the suddenly revitalized program turned to more like, Oh Sh*t.  But then came the hardnosed, workaholic, players coach named Scott Shafer.  And here we are.  One year into Shafer's tenure and we're bowling once again.  Shafer's reaction after the BC game pretty much summed it up.  He is very proud of this team and there is much more to come.  So my point is that although Mr. Marrone may have gotten us there a bit faster, Syracuse is on the right track.  And if we can beat Minnesota in Houston this week it will be our 3rd bowl win in 4 years.  I mean come on you have to be impressed with Shafer's first year.  6 wins, in a better conference, against better non-conference teams, and with a quarterback that throws less often then that Pope says "I think I'll be Jewish today."  SO what I'm saying is that Syracuse is back, we're not all the way back, but we are back.  And it is time that we rallied around this team and showed the rest of the nation that Orange Football is HARDNOSED FOOTBALL.

--Ron 

Welcome to Melo's Cornrows

Welcome to Melo's Cornrows. This blog is dedicated to the Syracuse Orange and everything that has to do with that greatest University in the nation.  From Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Coleman to Donovan McNabb and Floyd Little WE BLEED ORANGE.  If you feel like us and know what's right for you, you're gonna wanna follow this blog.  Our twitter is @meloscornrows and if you are one of our followers welcome to our extended Orange Madness.  This is basically everything we can't fit in 140 characters.  #Orangenation #InJimWeTrust #GeorgetownStillSucks
-- Ron